READING

Why, How, and What Writers Should Read

/ zarawest / 2 Comments

~ Do you write? Are you a reader? ~

You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little (or not at all in some cases) should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written, but I know it’s true. If I had a nickel for every person who ever told me he/she wanted to become a writer but “didn’t have time to read,” I could buy myself a pretty good steak dinner. Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.

 Stephen King On Writing

I  Love to Read. Do You?

Reading is one of my greatest pleasures. If I had my way, I would send many hours a day immersed in a book. For this reason, being a professional writer makes perfect sense for me. To be a successful writer, I can justify my hours inside a book as a job essential.

Next time someone questions why you have books stacked from floor to ceiling, or why you are too busy reading to pay a social call, use one of these delicious excuses.

carrying books

Why Writers Should Read

  • To be inspired
  • To absorb literary language
  • To learn new words
  • To develop empathy through identification with characters who are not like you
  • To keep your brain active
  • To escape your everyday world
  • To become a better reader
  • To find writers you love.
  • To support fellow writers

books in a basketHow Writers Should Read

Okay. So now you have explained those piles of books. But how should you approach them as a writer?

  • Read for structural ideas
  • Read to discover what will excite readers
  • Read to analyze structure, character, and plot
  • Read to study the voice and pacing of different authors
  • Read to see what works and what doesn’t in storytelling
  • Read to see how theme and motif can be expressed
  • Read to discover writers who write like you do. and those who don’t
  • Read to see what writing techniques work and what ones don’t
  • Read to find comparables to use in your query

 

 

What Writers Should Readwriting books

Do you tend to read the same kinds of books all the time? Branch out and try some of these.

  • Genres and styles you write in
  • Genres and styles you don’t write in
  • Books set in places you write about
  • Books set in places you have never been
  • Nonfiction books about writing
  • Nonfiction books about self-actualization
  • Books about marketing and running a business

AND…

  • Stephen King’s On Writing – the book every writer must read

 

 

 

The real importance of reading is that it creates an ease and intimacy with the process of writing… Constant reading will pull you into a place… where you can write eagerly and without self-consciousness.

 Stephen King On Writing

 

What are you reading right now?

I welcome your thoughts and comments.

How Do You Choose a Book to Read?

/ zarawest / 5 Comments

~Does Books+Main Have the Right Idea? ~

There are a whole bunch of e-book sales listing services out there – Bookbud, Fussy Librarian, Rifle, E-Reader and more. These services list books that are on sale with a short sales-pitch type blurb.

With 50 % of all romances being published independently, I use these services all the time to find new authors to read. But I never buy a book without first going to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and reading the long excerpt they post.

What is Books+Main?Zara West Books+Main Bite

However, there is a new book listing service called Books+Main that has a totally new idea. Authors post up to three quotes or excerpts or related content from their books daily along with a great photo.

When you join Books+Main as a reader you can then download their App to your phone and get a stream of “Bites” from hundreds of romance books. If you like a bite, you can heart it or leave a comment. You can also click on the author and see their books and where to buy them.

What do you think of this idea?

Would reading intriguing excerpts entice you to learn more about an author and maybe buy a book? Check out Books+Main and let me know.

Here’s a link to my Books+Main page. I’d love a follow!

How do you select books to read?

Post your thoughts and comment below.

I love to read: Why reading during NaNoWri is a bad Idea

/ zarawest / Leave a comment

I love to read. In fact, I don’t just love it– I am compelled to read. I read everything. If there is a newspaper in the recycle bin, I read it. If there is a cereal box on the table, I read the label. If there is a book left anywhere, I pick it up and read it. And if it is a book I want to read, I not only read it, I become immersed in it. So immersed, I don’t hear people talking to me. I don’t hear the doorbell. I don’t hear the tea kettle whistling. Yep. I love to read.

Now this can be a good thing or a bad thing. When I was growing up, I was forbidden to read in the house. My mother insisted that when I was reading, I tuned her out completely. (Well, she was right about that, though I am not sure the book was totally to blame. It might just have been normal teenage contrariness.) As a result, I just read more and in more creative ways – under the covers, in my lap at school, while pretending to watch TV, and so on.

In elementary school, I set out to read every book in the library. Since the library was small and poorly stocked, that turned out to be quite possible. It was also a wonderful introduction to the wide range of books out there. I read everything – fiction books about chickens that talked, the children’s classics, and non-fiction books about Indian crafts and to make pompoms. (I still can make those pompoms.)

I love to readWith that success under my belt, when I reached high school and could get to the public library on my own, I gave myself the goal of reading every fiction book in the library. I started at the As and actually got as far as the Hs. Robert Heinlein’s works were where I stopped my relentless pursuit because my best friend introduced me to the new acquisition rack and I had a whole new bunch of books to devour.

Now that I am a professional novelist, I still read. Reading is an essential part of writing. I read everything in my genre that I can. I read everything in genres I plan on writing in someday. And I plain just read everything that whets my interest. I read for enjoyment. I read to learn more about writing. I read to support my favorite authors. If you want to see what I read, check out my Goodreads list and my reviews. I read a new book every other day — usually.

However, not during NaNoWri. For one thing, reading consumes too much time. If I am going to get 1500 to 2000 words a day down, I don’t have time for a leisurely read at breakfast or lunch. But that’s not the main reason. The real problem about reading while fast drafting is that it pulls you out of your own story.

When I am fast drafting I am living my story. I am in the flow. I’m inside my character’s heads. I go to bed dreaming the next scene. I wake up ready to capture it. Reading someone else’s words, no matter how wonderful, no matter how enticing, interferes in the process. So as much as I hate it, I am not reading right now. Well, not much. I still read labels. I still read the newspapers my husband drapes over the armrest of the sofa. I still read e-mails and Facebook posts and even peek inside a few novels.

Because I am not perfect. I love to read…

Are you a compulsive reader too?

I’d love to here how you control your reading. Post your thoughts and comments below.

Favorite Places to Read

/ zarawest / 4 Comments

Where do you like to read? I’m a compulsive reader so I enjoy reading anywhere. I have been known to read while stirring the stew and in the few seconds it takes to microwave my tea. One of the reasons I like to read paperback books as opposed to e-books is that it is actually quicker to find and turn the pages in a paperback. Then again, e-books are a little more waterproof if you’re cooking. But I do think a paperback is safer when reading in the tub.

In honor of the release of Beneath the Skin, I will be posting suggested places to read  on Facebook and Twitter and this web page on a regular basis. I invite you to join in and post your favorite place to read, including a photo if you wish, in the comment section below or Tweet them to me at @zarawestauthor.

All those who comment or tweet will have their names put in a hat and a winner, chosen at random will receive an e-copy of Beneath the Skin. The winning Readers Club member will receive a basket of Beneath the Skin soap & lotion custom crafted by Laurel’s Garden. If you include a photo of Beneath the Skin in your tweet or comment, you will also get a $5 Amazon gift card.

Places to Read Beneath the Skin

In the Kitchen

Places to read - in the kitchen

In the Vineyard
Places to Read - in the vineyard
In Your Rocking Chair
Places to read - in a rocking chair
In an Apple Tree

Places to Read - in an apple tree

Don’t forget! Post your favorite place to read below or tweet it @zarawestauthor